TV Review

Aliens in America

A few evenings ago, I was home. Nothing much was on TV and I was just flipping through channels. I stumbled on a show called Aliens in America on the CW (of all places) and decided to give it a shot. I'd heard of the show before, but just never had a chance to see it and was never interested enough to consider DVR-ing it. So I watched. And I laughed. A lot! I also had my heartstrings pulled a little bit.

Summary: A family in the midwest with a nerdy teenage son signs up for a foreign exchange student program so that the son would have an instant friend. They expected a handsome Norwegian. What they got was a Pakistani named Raja. Great concept, great cast, great writing. The cast features Dan Byrd as Justin, Amy Pietz as Franny (the mom), Scott patterson as Gary (the dad) and Adhir Kalyan as Raja. There's also a daughter, but I don't care about her.

It's easier if you just watch it and see what I mean. Here's a link to a youtube video trailer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhODwtSimQ4

With there being seemingly no end to the writer's strike, try to catch the show on re-runs. I believe you can also watch full episodes online at the CW website.

The Men of Wisteria Lane

OK, we all know the show is called Desperate Housewives. And we all know the women are fierce in their own ways. But I want to write about the men who are currently on the show. Some of them I like, some of them I love, some of them I couldn't give a rat's ass about one way or another. So, in no particular order...

Doug Savant (Tom Scavo) I must admit, I love him the most. Not because he played gay on Melrose Place. Not because his name is "Doug," like me. (FYI - "Douglas" is a Scottish name that translates to "dweller of the dark brook." Mysterious, huh?) As far as I'm concerned, he's the unsung strongest male actor on the show. He's not only completely and utterly believable, but he's strong enough to go head-to-head with Felicity Huffman in a majority of his scenes. I think he plays his character exactly right - flawed and real...exactly what every man really is.
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Ricardo Chavira (Carlos Solis) I love him second most. I love Latin men. He's tall, dark and swarthy. He's also a man's man. Oh, and a good actor. My only complaint? Wait, I have none.
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Shawn Pyfrom (Andrew Van De Camp) Don't argue with me. He's not one of the kids anymore. He's a young man. And a fine actor. I wished the writers hadn't watered him down so much since his bad-boy days. And give the character a boyfriend, please! He's been single and celibate for too long. Someone that good-looking and in the prime of his life should be gettin' some on a regular basis. Shawn has come a long way since his guest starring days on Still Standing and Reba. Hell, sometimes you can catch him on both shows, back-to-back on Lifetime.

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Kyle MacLachlan (Orson Hodge) Kyle's been around for years. And I still don't buy a majority of what he says/does on screen. It's not that I think he's a bad actor. He's OK. But, there's something so "plastic" and "facade-like" about him, that I've always wondered if the real Kyle MacLachlan was buried somewhere in the sands of Dune, while what we see is some sort of robot David Lynch created to take his place. He's so wax-like, I half-expect him to melt in daylight scenes.

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James Denton (Mike Delfino) Sleepwalking. That's what he's doing. Sleepwalking.

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Kevin Rahm (Lee McDermott) One half of the gay couple on Wisteria Lane. I like him. He's appropriately snarky (and you know I love snarky!). His face has character and there's something very appealing about him. I'm intrigued enough that I'll bet they kill off his partner at some point and give him more to do...

like maybe become Andrew's bf.

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Tuc Watkins (Bob Hunter) The other half of the gay couple on Wisteria Lane. The cardboard half.

10 of My Favorite Actresses Currently Appearing on TV

Obviously, this list is subjective. But, I love every one of these women. I think they're talented, beautiful and some of the best actresses working today. They're in my order of preference...

(1) Felicity Huffman - The true anchor of Desperate Housewives. The other women are all very good, but Huffman is a true goddess. She's brilliant and needs to make more feature films, like Transamerica... not like Georgia Rule. I have nothing snarky to say about her.

(2) Jean Smart - Currently appearing on Samantha Who? The former Designing Women star is a formidable actress. She's appeared on almost every quality sitcom (both she and Felicity Huffman were Frasier Crane's girlfriends at one time or another on Frasier), and her Emmy nominated work on 24 was amazing. Someone get this woman into more films. A hidden gem of hers: playing the Bradys' next door-neighbor, Mrs. Ditmeyer in The Brady Bunch Movie. (Feeling drunk, horny and standing between Greg and Peter: "I'm in a Brady sandwich.")

(3) Sally Field - OK, she's amazing. Nobody can work a camera or an audience better than she on Brothers & Sisters. She's consistently ballsy. And consistently good. And the Boniva spokeswoman.

(4) Chandra Wilson - I LOVE Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy. She makes the "Nazi" (their term, not mine) on the show a strong leader, yet a sensitive woman. Can't wait to see what the future holds for her. And, Chandra, I don't care what you say - I love your nose.

(5) Becki Newton - As Amanda on Ugly Betty, she manages to do the unthinkable...steal almost every scene she's in. Brilliant at both comedy and dramatic work, great at slapstick comedy and fantastic at portraying multiple roles, she's someone to watch. And she's hot! Don't forget hot. Every homo's dream hag.

(6) Rachel Griffiths - Was brilliant on Six Feet Under, is brilliant on Brothers & Sisters. I'm a sucker for an Aussie.

(7) America Ferrera - The only actress on my list named after a country/continent. Ugly Betty herself conveys every emotion flawlessly, while holding the center of the show. I wonder if her boyfriend sings "I like to be in America..." when they have sex?

(8) Kristin Chenoweth - The Pushing Daisies star is adorable, yet formidable. She's been popping up everywhere (Ugly Betty, The West Wing) since she left Broadway's Wicked. And, don't forget she was the basis for Sarah Paulson's born-again character on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Kristin's got Jesus on her side.

(9) Kate Walsh - She's the perfect actress to spin off from Grey's Anatomy, to Private Practice. I idolize her. I wish I was her. Then, I'd get to meet TR Knight.

(10) Sandra Oh - I feel bad putting her at #10. She is a genius. Fantastic on Grey's Anatomy. Was great in Sideways. But she was stupid for ever agreeing to do Under the Tuscan Sun.